so it all depends how you categorize talent and the greats. >> does he have a point that a former jordan teammate who rode the bench has a lot of rings but no one thinks he's a great player? >> i mean, that's lebron being ridiculous. he just stated the obvious. >> i didn't understand that. >> it was stupid. here is the thing. the big picture is at the beginning of that with that like mike thing. here it is, michael jordan at 50 years of age, okay, and that i want to be like mike gatorade commercial was back in the early 1990s and people still want to be like mike, including lebron james and everybody on the play grounds. what's happening right now, you have a guy like lebron who was born in december of 1984. by that time michael had already won a national championship at north carolina. he had won a gold medal in the olympics for team usa. but here it is years later and lebron is still about to cry because he wants -- >> how old is lebron? >> he's 28. he wants the approval of those guys. >> when you're in your 20s you

think you know everything. when i was in my 20s i thought i knew everything but then i found out i didn't know anything. i thought i knew everything and you know nothing, nothing. that's what lebron -- >> it's all about rings though. it always comes down to that in professional sports. >> talk to me when he turns 35 or 40. >> talk to me when you win more world championships. >> he's a kid. >> which is the bottom line. >> yeah. >> roll it. the next hour of the cnn "newsroom" begins right now. i'm don lemon. thank you so much for joining us. we're going to get you up to speed on the headlines. nas sif spending cuts are korming and you should get ready for them. that's what republican senator john barrasso said today. i'm talking about the budget cuts that were narrowly avoided two months ago. remember the fiscal cliff? well, the cuts will kick in automatically march 1st if nothing changes. democrats don't want them. they favor raising taxes and other alternatives to across the board cuts. there's another deadline

countdown and plenty more budget fighting on capitol hill. a huge rally at the national mall in washington today as thousands pleaded for more action on climate change. among the demands, the protesters want president obama to reject the keystone xl pipeline and to get the environmental protection agency to set carbon standards for power plants. a bigger than normal crowd packed vat tan city today. it's the second to the last time pope benedict xvi will address crowds of catholic faithful from that famous window overlooking st. peter's square. about 100,000 people turned out to hear benedict ask for prayers for the next pope. the 85-year-old pope shocked the world last week when he announced he's resigning at the end of the month. danica patrick became the first woman to win the pole position for the daytona 500. she will share the front row next sunday with jeff gordon.

this will be patrick's first full season in nascar sprint cup series. a few minutes ago i talked with danica patrick right here on cnn. it was not long after her ground-breaking achievement. she joined me from daytona beach. she's a modest lady and i asked her if she understood the magnitude making this important mark is in sports. >> in a simple word, yes, i understand that. i think that understanding the scope of what that means and what that will end up meaning is -- or if any is something that happens down the road. in the moment it's about thinking about what i need to do for next sunday and trying to make some more history. >> tell us about the reaction from your fellow drivers, including your team owner tony stuart. >> tony came over when we had gotten the pole so qualifying was over with, and he came over to say good job and, you know,

for me i just wanted to tell him thank you for giving me the chance and for giving me the crew and the car and the job at his team to be able to go out there and do something like that. so it means a lot and it goes a long way when someone like tony stewart believes in you. >> i met him a couple years ago when i was doing an interview for daytona 500 and he couldn't have been more gracious. a very gracious man. let's talk a little more about you though. winning the pole is one thing. now you have to go out and race in 125-mile qualifies race and then a 500-mile main event on sunday. how are you going to prepare for this this week? >> well, i'm going to hope that i can have a little bit of time off between now and when we hit the track on wednesday. but i'm racing in the nationwide race which is i think going to be really good help for the race on sunday for the daytona 500 so i'll be racing on saturday and

sunday. but, i mean, just getting out there in traffic and feeling what it's like around other cars and we're going to have to be smart about what we do out there on the track. i believe if we crash in practice or the duals which is a race we do on thursday, we don't get to start in the front row so we're going to have to be a little bit smart, but doesn't mean we can't get that chance to go out there and feel what it's like around other cars. >> so listen, don't be modest, you won this time. you upon the pole position. what are you doing this time that's different or better than you were doing before or better than the other drivers? >> i don't know how to answer that. i mean -- you know, all i can do as a driver when i go out there and qualify at a place like daytona is to be smooth, to not let the car bind up too much, let it take its head, let it go where it wants to go a little bit yet keeping a minimum distance as little as possible.

so -- but other than that i mean it's very much about the crew. so i know you told me to not be modest but it is very much about the crew and the engine, the car. those elements have to be in place for you to go out there and be able to have a chance at the pole. >> you were also modest when you answered the history question, but you said you do understand that you made history today. it is ground-breaking, but do you understand there are young women and little girls at home watching you who all of a sudden today will say, you know what? i can do that. i can become a race car driver. i can be a danica patrick and little boys -- my producer is saying little boys but little boys have had role models in racing from the beginning, but aur role model for little girls. do you get that? >> you know, i love that -- to go beyond racing in general. just to kind of break gender barriers. i feel that one of the coolest things is to be able to think that parents and their kids are having that conversation at home about it, and i have heard

stories about a kid, whether a boy or girl, saying, but, mommy, daddy, that's a girl that's out there racing and then they can have that conversation to say, you can do anything you want to do and gender doesn't matter. your passion is what matters, and that's cool. >> my thanks to danica patrick. sprinter oscar pistorius now charged with murdering his girlfriend won't be racing anytime soon. his management agency today announced the man known as played runner has dropped out of a number of important races. his agent met with the sprinter to discuss what's next. >> the nature of my visit was on a professional manner to discuss obviously his career, especially the plans that we had made for this year with the championships in moscow as the main goal for this year, and then obviously secondly also to visit him as a friend and give him my moral support. >> murder charges have stunned other top runners who still

can't believe what they're hearing. >> when i heard it, i was like what? who? as in the guy who runs the 400 meter? i was asking all kinds of questions because this can't be the same guy that i have seen that i know, and i still can't process it really. i'm trying to process what really happened, what's going on. so as far as i'm concerned just listening, listening to the news, hear what's up. follow twitter and let's see what's going on because for me i'm still in slightly shock for what happened. >> in a bizarre turn south africa is now airing a new reality show starring pistorius' late girlfriend reeva steenkamp. >> cleaning up in russia after blasts from a meteorite. and a prisoner commits suicide inside a prison and no one hears about it for two years? the strange case of prisoner "x." ♪

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hmmm. uh... yeah, can you find a take where it's a bit more dramatic on that last line, yeah? yeah i got it right here. someone help me!!! i have a flat tire!!! well it's good... good for me. what do you think? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. multiple car and roadside bombings exploded today in iraq. baghdad police say at least 21 people were killed and another 125 wounded. the blasts mainly targeted outdoor markets. the u.s. embassy has condemned the attacks. a cuban blogger and fierce critic of the cuban government finally got to leave havana today at least for 80 days. he had been refused an exit visa for years. she's headed on an 80 day tour

of ten countries including the u.s. she said she doesn't plan to temper her criticism just because she got the exit visa but she acknowledged it could be her last trip out of the country. in a snowy southern russia they're still cleaning up broken glass and still trying to calm down after that meteor plowed into the earth the other day. some people near the impact site say they're afraid to stand near windows remembering that cosmic explosion friday morning that injured more than 1,000 people and damaged thousands of buildings. now to israel and the strange case of prisoner "x." his apparent suicide inside an israeli prison was kept under wraps for two years because of extreme censorship. his identity has been revealed opening a host of new questions with few answers. here is cnn's sara sidner with what we know. >> reporter: behind me is one of israel's highest security prisons. the prison is now surrounded by controversy because of the mysterious circumstances of a death of an inmate who was

allegedly housed in this prison and died here in 2010. now, the local israeli media has been unable to tell the prisoner's story for the past two years because israel activated its military censorship laws which are normally used when the military believes it could benefit an enemy of the state or harm the state of israel. but a recent investigation by the australian broadcasting corporation revealed the name of the prisoner and the report said that the prisoner was a member of israel's spy agency mossad. the abc account says prisoner "x" was ben zygir who went by several names. we were able to talk to an australian investigative reporter who had been in contact with zygir over the years. he said he was tipped off by the australian intelligence sources who told him that zygir was

involved in a passport scam. >> i was contacted in october of 2009 by an australian intelligence source. he passed on to me the details of three australian citizens who were also israeli citizens and he suggested to me that they had been involved in a passport scam, a means to change their identities in australia and use the new travel documents that they obtained to go and travel to countries that were -- that are sensitive for israel. >> reporter: zygir allegedly killed himself by hanging himself but questions have surfaced as to how he managed to do that inside a highly monitored and secure cell. a human rights attorney said he actually had a conversation with zygir a couple days before he died. he told us that the cell was supposedly suicide-proof and that zygir had not been

convicted, only suspected of a crime at the time. now, here is where the story takes another turn. a kuwaiti newspaper has reported that zygi r was involved in the assassination in a dubai hotel of a leader of the hamas military wing. but an australian journalist says there's no indicator he was involved in that assassination. the assassination made news worldwide because surveillance cameras took video of the assassins in a hotel elevator while they were all dressed in tennis outfits. australian officials had made no comment as to the dubai connection but they are looking in the case as far as his time in prison and how he died. now, when it comes to what they knew, australian officials with the foreign ministry said that australia didn't know its citizen was inside an israeli prison and died there and the body was sent to the family. the family, according to officials, never asked for an investigation. as you might imagine, this story is sparking a lot of debate here

in israel and finally the courts allowed the local media and you can tell from all of the newspaper articles with zygir's face plastered all over them that they are now allowed to report only what international media reports. it has certainly sparked a debate about censorship and prisoners' rights. so far the government has not said a word about the report or any details of the says. sara sidner, cnn, israel. up next, one black actor shows up again and again and again in tv commercials. why? he thinks it's because he's safe for while people. i'll talk to that octoberor next. your house was built on an ancient burial ground. surprise -- your car needs a new transmission. [ coyote howls ] how about no more surprises? now you can get all the online trading tools you need without any surprise fees.

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okay. being black in hollywood is fantastic. for the one black guy in every single commercial. you know him, the quirky nonthreatening black guy. "saturday night live" hit a nerve with a skit based on a real actor.

>> hey, seth, high five. >> how are you, corey? >> awesome, man, just awesome. my life is great. this year i was in 14 commercials and i was the one black guy in a college brochure. >> well, that's great. what have you been up to lately? >> oh, so much. just came back from venice beach where i was playing drums on the top of a pringles can with some friends just messing around. then i went to this awesome part where i was the deejay. i put a dr. pepper can on the middle of the turntable and i was just like wicky, wicky, wicky. >> oh, yes. i actually just left venice beach. >> that skit was inspired by that guy right there who is talking. actor james reed joining us from los angeles. his casting director joins us

from phoenix. thank you all for joining us. this is going to be an interesting conversation. you describe yourself as the one acceptable black friend in commercials. let's watch. ♪ >> made a great choice. the honda accord holds its value better than any other sedan in america. coffee? >> please. like i was saying the new accord -- >> let's go. >> how did you do that? auto magically. >> so listen, the commercials are good, but jamison, why do you think casting directors choose you and not other black directors. that "snl" skit, there was a lot

of truth to it. >> well, i think it's because -- well, first, i'm talented. i think i'm a talented actor. i think my look has caught on because i've remained this look since the beginning, and other people have started to kind of take on the look to, i guess, they thought that it was making them a better actor by having this kind of hair and these kind of glasses. >> how do you describe that look? what's your look? >> my look is i really don't hair about how i look. like, i like to feel comfortable. i grow my beard because i don't want to shave. i grow my hair out because i don't want to do as much work on it. and i wear the glasses because i got sick and tired of having to wear contact lenses. >> are you usually the only black guy on the set? what about the clients or producers or the crew? >> for the most part, yes. i'm usually one of two or three black people on the set. clients, agency, most of people on that end are white, and most

of the crew is white. so you do come across black talent every once in a while and black crew members. it's very seldom, it's getting better, but, yeah, it's an interesting phenomenon. >> mimi webb miller, you have worked with michael jackson, worked with ray charles. do you think it's difficult to get black actors cast in major roles for tv or movie or television commercials? how are black actors viewed in hollywood today? >> it's better than it used to be, and jamison really didn't blowing his own horn, he's very talented. it isn't -- we can bring him to the picture, but he has to be chosen by the director or the client. and he's been very lucky and worked very hard. >> other than that though, obviously he's very talented, but why do you think -- there are a lot of black actors, starving black actors and talented black actors out there and they don't get picked. do you think he's the acceptable black friend, as he says? >> well, yes, i do believe that

that's true, but, you know, in the old days we couldn't even put a couple together if they didn't match colors. nowadays that's different. it's changed quite a bit. i would think jamison would think so, too. >> let's talk to anthony though. anthony, how difficult was it to get "red tails" off the ground? what are the biggest barriers in hollywood for black actors and black filmmakers? >> george lucas had "red tails" on his lap for over 18 years. and as he said many times, it took him many efforts to get studios to listen, so that's why he did it independently and we're very thankful for that. but, you know, i think part of the problem a lot of times is these stories -- before we even get to casting, it starts on the page. so we are constantly trying to think out of the box from script to screen and just to get

producers on board to be a part of social change and to try to make steps ahead. "red tails" for me was definitely one more page that we can turn toward the future. >> actor denzel washington is mega successful. we know about that with two academy awards, dozens of big-name roles. is denzel's hollywood, is he the go-to black actor now? why no other actors? there are very few other actors. >> well, i think with actors like denzel, they bring a certain, i think, i would say a gravitas to the picture. so when you see that actor, you know what to expect and you can go and watch the film and kind of relax. but i think in having -- there's so many more talented actors out there. i have had such great experiences on "the wire," my control career has been working

and trying to present platforms and presenting so many more great talented actors, both men and women. and it's definitely a challenge, but we're all a part of i think a coalition of really trying to break down the wall and continue to forge ahead because we're out there. >> yeah. so jamison, anthony, mimi, stick around. don't go anywhere, we're just getting started. a lot more next. you can spot an amateur from a mile away... while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you. go national. go like a pro. just like you. all stations come over to mithis is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock.

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does hollywood prefer white skin? we're talking about typecasting in hollywood. nonwhite actors face subtle and not so subtle stereotypes. for example an actor born in iran is getting lots of jobs playing terrorists. you might recognize him. naveed from showtime's "homeland." take a look. >> you pervert the teachings of the prophet and you call it a cause. >> generation after generation must suffer and die. they are prepared for that. are you? >> in homeland his character seeks revenge for u.s. drone strike that killed his son. he also played terrorists in csi, law and order. some says his terrorist roles reinforce stereotypes. >> i am an actor and i'm not the iranian. just because i know the culture, i think i can do a much better job to bring that character to life. the show doesn't give you an answer. it raises questions so you sit down and you ask yourself the

question, how would i behave if i were in that situation? they see that there is no hero. everybody has flaws. >> okay. so joining our panel now is psychologist wendy walsh, acted vis and anti-racism writer tim wise and dean og da lieu. it's like the brady bunch. >> and you're the dad. >> it's interesting because whenever i look on tell wiig, whether it's the news or whatever it is, i say that's not america. that's not the world. i haven't seen anything that looks like that where everything is all white. so, dean, what's going on? dean, i'm going to start with you. should this actor feel guilty about playing a terrorist or should a black actor feel guilty about playing a stereotypical role? >> that's a really ongoing discussion. i'm arab american. that's something we hear about all the time. should arab american actors play the arab terrorist. frankly, if we don't, latino guy

or an indian guy will be cast to play it. those projects are going to be done. we have to make our own projects to tell our own story accurately and honestly. >> the voice of reason in the red shirt, tim wise. what's going on in hollywood? >> well, what's going on in hollywood is what goes on all around the country. hollywood reflects back and advertising commercial ads reflect back the culture. we live in a society where we have 40 years of research which finds that, sadly, white consumers, whether it's moviegoers or people who buy consumers products, will often times not purchase products or not go to films that they perceive as somehow not about them. that's not hollywood's problem. that's our problem. if we want hollywood to reflect america, we have to demonstrate, when i say we, i mean those of us in the dominant group, those who are white, have to demonstrate that we are open to connecting with black and brown folks in ways that are not stereotypical. that's on us. it's not hollywood's fault so much as it is the larger cull

tur. >> go ahead, wendy. >> yes, but i agree with what you're saying. advertisers and the media just reflect back what people are feeling, but vek also have the power to raise the ante, raise the bar, up the ante. a few years ago when ikea was the first one to do this amazing commercial with a gay couple shopping for furniture. i'm sure they didn't think their primary demographic were gay couples but that brought in a wonderful group of people ai'm sure to their stores. the research says that some of these awful stereotypes still work, they still sell, but they also have the power to change us a bit. >> i was watching one of our shows here the other night, and jane fonda was talking about women in hollywood and empowerment. >> yes. >> and everyone was like, yes, it's great, it's great, we should talk about this, but the moment you talk about minorities in films or in television commercials or even on television in positions of power in the news, people say why are

you bringing that up? you're racist for talking about that. what is that, tim wise? >> well, you know, we live in a culture that tells us if we talk about racism that causes racism and that we just should talk less which is absurd. if you think about any other social problem, no one would say that. if you talked about world hunger, no one would say, oh, my good, don't talk about that and then food will miraculously appear on the plates of starving children. we understand other problems you have to address by talking about them, but white america, frankly, and i'm white, been around white folks all my life, white folks do not like to be confronted with the truth of our history and our ongoing reality. that's why we say we're post racial, because we have a black president, because millions of white folks turned barack obama into their own personal cliff huxtable but that doesn't mean we're past racism. >> anthony, do you agree with that? >> absolutely. i think especially we're talking about the whole big picture of

hollywood and where we all work. it's -- on the surface it's liberal, but when you look deeper than that, it's completely face value, and it's always an issue, and i think it's the consciousness that we need to continue to bring up and to discuss that will only help us move forward. >> tim wise really break out the cliff huxtable reference? good job, tim. moving on, a nascar first as danica patrick becomes the first woman to ever win the pole position at the daytona 500. how fast did she have to go to beat all those guys? talking about diversity? that's next. do a side by side blind test comparison, and you end up choosing google, you get an xbox. i'll bet you the xbox, you bet me your son. well let's look up what you need. okay, i would do the left. yeah? what?! i am a daddy! bing wins it! bing won. bing did win. moving on, a nascar first as h m

and see what you're missing. moving on, a nascar first as

danica patrick nascar driver. she will have an unon strukted view when she starts next sunday's daytona 500 because she will be in front. the 30-year-old rookie today won the pole position with a qualifying lap of over 196 miles per hour. she is the first woman ever to win a pole position in a nascar

top division race. i interviewed dap ka a little earlier on cnn and if you missed it you can catch it again at 10:00 p.m. eastern tonight. the manhunt for christopher dorner may be over but the controversy over how he died is just beginning. a few dozen people gathered saturday outside the lapd headquarters to criticize how police handled a manhunt and its fiery conclusion at a mountain cabin. some protesters tell cnn that they don't condone dorner's killing spree but disturbing allegations about the lapd should be investigated because of the department's history of corruption and racism. massive spending cuts are coming and you should get ready for them. that's what republicans in the senate are saying today. i'm talking about those budget cuts that were narrowly avoided two months ago. republican senator john barrasso says sequestration is unavoidable even after a democratic proposal last week to avert it. >> i think there are much better ways to do these budget cuts and

i welcome that sort of discussion with the president, but the cuts are going to occur. we're talking about 2.5% of what we spend this year, and this is just the first year of ten years of cuts. so you have to be realistic about this. families all across the country, candy, have had their budgets cut by larger than that. >> meanwhile, house minority whip steny hoyer is getting frustrated with republicans. >> republicans would have us return to our districts with nothing to show our constituents, notwithstanding the fact we have been here for six weeks this year. who are deeply concerned about how the sequester will make their lives more difficult and their communities less safe. our country less safe and our communities less safe as a result of sequester. >> with less than two weeks before massive spending cuts would kick in. victims of superstorm sandy can't seem to catch a break. four months after the storm, many now feel they are drowning

in red tape as they try to get insurance money to repair their homes. here is cnn's deborah feyerick. >> when am i going to get my money? >> reporter: begging for money is not something katherine hall ever thought she had to do. >> i had to run to the bank and beg them to give me a loan so i could pay my contractor and once he's finished doing this segment of the work, we have to stop because we don't have any more money. >> reporter: nearly four months since superstorm sandy destroyed her home she's been calling her mortgage banker every day. she's begging them to release insurance money so they can rebuild and go home. >> we have a 4-year-old little boy who basically we spent his college fund. the money that we've put by since his birth towards being able to send him to college later in life is what we've spent. it's gone. >> reporter: hall, who is originally from britain, and her husband bob and 4-year-old son

nathan have been living in a hotel since november. the halls are among more than 6,000 families still waiting for insurance money. new york's governor blamed unnecessary red tape and accused banks of failing to release more than $200 million worth of insurance. the problem is some lenders require proof the repair has been made before they will reimburse for the cost of that repair. >> there's a lot of older people here that, you know, that just don't have any money and they're being told that, you know, do 30% of the work and then they'll get 30% of the money. do 50% of the work and you will get 50% of the money. >> the reason they do that i think is they're scared that you're going to get the check and leave and leave them with a property that's not sellable. you know, but we've invested a lot of money in this house, you know, and it's our home. >> banks contacted by cnn, including wells fargo, jpmorgan, citi bank, and bank of america tell cnn they have distributed

more than 75% of all insurance money. the halls' mortgage lender, who they asked we not name, did not respond. >> we came here to live the american dream and now we're living the american nightmare because they're holding our money and we can't get it and it's not fair, you know. it's not fair on anyone. and everyone is in the same position, everybody. like i said to you, i don't know a single person who has had a dime. >> reporter: and the waiting and uncertainly is taking a toll as devastating as the storm itself. >> thanks to deborah feyerick. you know his name, you know his politics, but ted nugent says you don't know him at all. >you s politics, but ted nugent says you don't know him at all. >you his politics, but ted nugent says you don't know him at all. his politics, but ted nugent says you don't know him at all. his politics, but ted nugent says you don't know him at all. today is gonna be an important day for us.

you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? it's not fair on anyone. his politics, but ted nugent how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. at university of phoenix we know the value of your education is where it can take you. (subway announcer; "now arriving at city hospital") which is why we're proud to help connect our students with leading employers across the nation. (subway announcer: "next stop financial center") let's get to work. new griddle-melts to yourime usual breakfast sandwich.

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and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. ted nugent, the motor city madman, there he is, one of the more unlikely audience members who was invited to the president's state of the union speech this week. the outspoken gun rights advocate and former rock star shoots straight from the hip and from the lip when it comes to firearm restrictions. what you may not know is nugent can be kind of a softy, especially when it comes to his grandchildren. here is nugent in our red chair interview. >> every hateful statement ever made about me is a dirty lie. ♪ i get this question a lot.

how did i avoid the temptation to indulge in substance abuse? the same way i avoided the temptation to stab myself in the eye with an ice pick. i don't do stupid things. who doesn't know that all these dead rotting carcasses are a result of substance abuse? i'm all for a beer. thanksgiving my brothers drink a beer, have a beer, i drink a little red wine, cuban cigar, i shoot my machine gun. i don't really smoke it but it looks good with the machine gun. i don't want to be a rock star. don't believe in rock stars. if you really examine what goes with being a rock star, i have avoided that really well. are you kidding me? i mean, i have turned down literally we've calculated hundreds of millions of dollars because i have to get away from it and the ultimate escape is to get a sharp stick and go kill a deer.

it's literally the last perfect thing left to get away from the outrageous rock and roll stuff. so rock stars are cute. they got nice haircuts and i loved the pierced nipples but i'm more into working hard, playing hard, making great music and going hunting. i'm a real mushy grandpa. i snuggle with them. i'm the master of snuggling. i'm like mr. rogers with a machine gun. i'm so much fun. every grand kid wishes i was their grandpa. i'm the motor city mad gramps. we get the trains and before my knees blew out, i would run around the kitchen and dining room, whoo-whoo, and swing them around and let the g forces send theme into the other room. when we get on the four-wheelers we go, and i teach them how to shoot the bow and arrow and i'm pretty mushy. i'm an excitable guy. you might have picked up on that. and you like to apply that energy to my grand kids so they realize you don't want act like

europeans. you want to really let it rip and really enjoy life to the fullest. >> you can see more fascinating interviews like this one online and our website. just go to cnn.com/video and search for red chair. who is the best nba player of all time, michael jordan or lebron james? our rachel nichols caught up with lebron james to get his answer. the exclusive interview is next. it's the little things in life that make me smile. spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat.

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welcome back to sports center, everybody. the nba's best players are gathered in houston for the annual all-star game. it also happens to be the 50th birthday of the great michael jordan which has sparked a lot of discussion and debate about who is the best

>> lebron james looked at you and said who are you right now? >> best friend, you know what i am. i don't know who you are. you are from another planet. >> most of us don't know what it is like to be on an nba court and shoot with that kind of accuracy. can you compare to it anything in regular life the rest of us can know how you feel looking at that basket? >> i'm the -- i guess i will say, you know, the way i have been shooting the ball, it feels like you are on the beach and -- you have a tennis ball and you can just -- no matter where you throw it it will enter the water. that's just the feeling i have every time i get on the floor. every shot i take, no matter what shot i take, it will go in. i haven't shot 100% yet. but -- >> but you want to. you were close one night. >> i was close. i was close. i missed a lay-up. i missed a lay-up. after the fact. during the game i didn't know.

after the fact i said oh, 13 of 14. lay-up. >> you tweeted this year "i'm not m.j., i'm l.j." how sick are you of being compared to michael jordan? >> it is not a sick thing. i'm not sick of it. just that mike is mike. and a man can only be himself. i can't be mike. i don't want to be mike. i want -- well, not i want to. i am who i am. >> everyone is so focused on your basketball right now. but -- will's all he is other parts of your personality that we are seeing, whether it is you play catch with the fan the other night. or tackling the guy after he makes the half-court shot. or we saw you joking around with your family in the commercial or you have a cartoon series. >> a lot of people think it is kind of like staged. it is just -- i don't know. it is just -- it happens. it is me. you know, like you said, for instance, with the fan and the basketball, i don't know. give me the ball. he threw it to me light. no. give me better pass than that. >> we talked over the years

where you say i have more fun, i play better basketball. there is a relationship. >> right. it is. >> well, you are playing the best basketball of your life. arguably. are you having the most fun of your life? >> absolutely. it is fun. at this level, it is hard to find that balance. i'm happy that i'm at a point in my career i found the balance. you know. i'm back to having fun and loving the game that i always loved. >> canada's parliament has a warning for zombie invaders. lawmakers speak out putting their foot down about an apocalypse. there's a lot of substance, it just seems really fresh. there's like a lot more flavor. [ anouncer ] ihop is building our best breakfast sandwiches ever. new griddle-melts made fresh and hot. hand crafted just for you. it's like a sexy sandwich. i love this crispy bread... ...the roasted red peppers. it's awesome. [ anouncer ] compare new griddle melts yourself. just $4.99 at ihop. this is an epic breakfast sandwich.

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it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. it is always a good idea to be prepared for a natural disaster. how do you prefer for a zombie apocalypse? law make mers canada thought they had a great idea to train emergency responders and pretend the country was under attack by the invaders. here's cnn's jeanne moos. >> reporter: is there a zombie in the house? the house of commons. >> i don't need to tell you, mr. speaker, that zombies don't recognize orders. >> reporter: this isn't the latest episode of the walking dead. you could argue some politicians fit that description. this is actually canada's parliament. >> i want to ask the minister of foreign affairs, is he working with his american counterparts to develop an international zombie strategy so a zombie invasion does not turn into a zombie apocalypse? >> reporter: it is clear these

guys aren't brain dead because they know how to joke. the minister of foreign affairs reciprocated with a pun dead on. >> mr. speaker, i want to assure this member and all canadians that i am dedicated to ensuring that this never happens. >> reporter: the zombie issue came up because quebec was supposed to hold a mock zombie training exercise. while that may sound bizarre -- zombie drills are not that unusual. this one took place in ohio. the idea is to have emergency planners think outside of the box as opposed to dealing with crises that they dealt with in the past. even officials at the centers for disease control used zombies to grab the public's attention. zombies have no respect for romance. there were false zombie alerts this week and a handful of the stations and places like michigan and montana.

hackers managed to temporarily take control of the station's emergency broadcast systems just as they used to do with far simil simpler traffic signs. it had members laughing. but wait. zombie apocalypse training has been canceled. the new scenario will simulate flooding. flooding? yes. joshing about zombies quebec's government worried the training exercise would lose its serious focus. >> under the leadership of this prime minister, canada will never become a safe haven for zombies ever! >> reporter: anyway, canada has nothing to fear as one guy posted on gawker, zombies are allergic to maple syrup. jeanne moos. >> to a zombie apocalypse. >> reporter: cnn. >> canada will never become a safe haven for zombies ever. >> reporter: new york. >> what great day it